1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains generally to cleats for use with athletic shoes worn on turf and other surfaces. In particular, the present invention pertains to a golf cleat that provides improved traction and stability while minimizing clogging of the cleat by agglomerated soil, mud and grass.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In my aforesaid '860 patent there is disclosed a removable cleat for use with an athletic shoe for providing traction to a user on a turf surface without damaging the turf surface, and also providing traction on hard surfaces, carpeting and other flooring without damaging that flooring. That removable cleat comprises a hub having a first or upper side facing the shoe sole and a second or bottom side facing away from the shoe sole. A hub attachment means extends from the first side for attaching the hub to one of the plural attachment means located on or in the shoe sole. Plural traction elements extend in cantilevered fashion from the hub periphery, each traction element having a turf-engaging portion projecting away from the bottom side of the hub for engagement with turf blades to provide traction without puncturing turf. The traction element is resiliently deflectably attached to the hub so that the turf-engaging portion deflects toward the shoe sole when it encounters a hard surface under load, thereby minimizing wear of the turf-engaging portion of the traction element by the hard surface. The relatively broad and substantially flat outward surface of the traction element tends to trap grass blades against the sole of the shoe to enhance traction.
Although exceptionally effective for its intended purpose, the cleat disclosed in my '860 patent has a tendency to become clogged with grass blades and/or mud in the region between the hub and the traction elements and between the traction elements themselves. The clogging material, particularly grass blades which tend to wrap around the hub, limits the deflection range of the traction elements toward the shoe sole and thereby compromises the effectiveness of the cleat in providing traction. In addition, the traction elements are subject to wear and possible tearing at the point of connection to the hub due transverse bending forces applied to the traction elements in use. More specifically, during walking, as the wearer of the golf shoe pushes off rearwardly on his/her rear foot, frictional engagement of the distal end of the traction element against the ground causes that distal end to resist rearward movement. As a result, the traction elements nearest the sides (as opposed to the front or back) of the shoe sole bend laterally in a direction tangential to the hub as the hub is forced rearwardly or forwardly. Such repeated lateral bending tends to weaken the junction between the hub and traction element until eventually the traction element tears loose from the hub. Similarly, pivoting or turning of the shoe sole when under the weight of the wearer, results in similar lateral bending stresses in the front and back traction elements, with the ultimate weakening and tearing of the traction element. Such pivoting occurs, for example, during a golf swing as the golfer pushes off from his/her rear foot.
In addition, although the cleat in my '860 patent has been found to be extremely effective in providing traction, I have found the there is room for improvement. In particular, the substantially flat outer surface of the traction elements distributes over a relatively large area the applied force that traps grass blades against the shoe sole. As a consequence, the trapping or gripping force is distributed, and the trapping pressure along the trapped grass blade is relatively small. It is desirable to efficiently localize the applied force to increase the pressure and better grip the trapped grass blades.